Container



April 1l, 1944. Q DOPPEL-r 2,346,563

CONTAINER Filed Jan. 2, 1945 Patented Apr. 11, 1944 `UNITED STATES `PATENT` OFFICE CONTAINER CharlesDoppelt, Chicago, Ill.

Application January 2, 1943, Serial No. 471,205

(Cl. 19o-48) 2 Claims.

'This invention relates to an improvement in containers and more particularly those containers which are known as utility bags or the like.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a bag which eliminates thehinge pin or like element for securing the jaws of the bag together to provide the hinging action.

Another object of this invention is to eliminate extraneous hinging means and to accomplish the hinging action by providing flexible hinging ends and properly positioning the ends of the U shaped supporting members with respect to the center of the end wall of the bag.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bag having the jaws thereof so constructed that when closed they nest one within the other so that a single fastening element can lock the bag in closed position.

Another object is to provide a bag which can be economically constructed and which can be eniciently opened and closed and maintained in either ci said positions.

Other objects will become apparent as this description progresses.

1n the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a bag in closed position embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing the upper portion of the end of the bag, when same is in open position and showing portions of same broken away.

Fig. 3 is a view showing one end of the bag in open position.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View taken on lines 4-6 of Fig. 2, and,

Fig. 5 is a View of one of the hinge parts in open position.

The bag generally indicated at lil is provided with a base il, side walls l2 and end walls Ill. The side and end walls are formed of two substantially rigid sections I2a and I2b with intervening flexible or bellow shaped sections I2C. Since the body of the container would be made of the same material throughout, such as leather or the like which would have the same pliability throughout, the rigid sections are formed by providing supporting strips of cardboard (not shown) which are secured adjacent to the sides inside of the bag.

Formed integrally with the side walls l2 and extending upwardly thereof are oppositely positioned foldable flaps or top sections l5 and I6 which form the closure for the bag. Ihese top sections each have continuing sections l1 and I8 respectively which form the upper portion of the end walls when the fiaps are in open position, as

shown in Fig. 3, and which are Vbent to assume an overlapping position to overlap the end walls i4 when the bag is closed as shown in Fig. l.

The edges of the top sections l5 and It are each supported by wooden U shaped supporting members 20 and '2l which form the jaws vof the bag and which are suitably covered and` enclosed within leather coverings 22 and 23 and which'are stitched as at 24 to the edges of the top sections i5 and I5 respectively. The coverings 22 and 23 extend beyond the ends of the U shaped supporting members to form flexible hinging ends 25 and 26. These ends taper downwardly as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The stitching 24 which secures the leather coverings of the supporting members to the foldable flaps continues around the end walls as shown at 24a and same unites the exible hinging ends 25 and 25 slightly below the supporting members. The exible ends provide the necessary hinging action for the jaws and this together with the positioning of the ends of the U shaped members presently to be described provide for the hinging action and nesting of the jaws one upon the other and thereby eliminate the use of pins or extraneous hinging members.

Since the side and end walls forming the body of the bag are made from two pieces of material, they are stitched together along the end walls as at 2l substantially in the center thereof, i. e. midway between the side walls.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 2 and 4, it will be seen that the U shaped supporting members are positioned so that the opposite ends thereof, 20a of one of the supporting members 20 (preferably the member which nests within the other) has its ends closer to the center line 2l of the end wall than the end portion 2Ia of the other U shaped supporting member 2|. It will be seen that the distance A thus defined is less than the distance B. By this arrangement, the end 20a will precede end 2 la during the closing of the bag and will tend to push the flexible portion 26 outwardly instead' of inwardly so that said flexible portion will, at no time, interfere with the closing of the bag. Thus the jaws of the bag are enabled to nest one within the other when in closed position, and are provided with the necessary hinging action. A single locking clasp 3l) can lock the jaws together. Likewise with this arrangement the jaws of the bag can be readily opened and maintained in an opened position and can be readily closed without crowd` ing in the end walls of the bag, thus preserving the full capacity thereof.

one of said flaps and continuing end section atI the free edges thereof to form the jaws of said bag, said U-shaped supporting members terminating short of the center line of the end walls when in open position, the ends of one of said supporting members terminating in closer proximity to said center line than the ends of the other supporting member to provide longer legs, said one supporting member adapted to nest within the other supporting member when the bag is closed, flexible means covering said supporting members and extending beyond the ends thereof,

the extended ends of said exible means terminating in tapered portions overlapping each other, the' lower edges of the exible means joined to the end walls to form the hinging portions of the bag.

2. In a structure of the character described, a base, side walls, end walls, a pair of oppositely positioned closure flaps formed as a. continuation of said side walls, said closure aps when in open 5 position being in substantial vertical alignment with the side walls, said closure iiaps having foldable continuing end sections adapted to be continuous with and form the upper part of the end walls, a U-shaped supporting member secured to l0 each one of said flaps and continuing end section at the free edges thereof to form the jaws of said bag, said U-shaped supporting members terminating short of the center line of the end walls when in open position, the ends of one of said 15I supporting members terminating in closer proximity to said center line than the ends of the other supporting member to provide longer legs, said one supporting member adapted to nest within the other supporting member when the bag is 20 closed, flexible means covering said supporting member and extending beyond the ends thereof, the extended ends of said flexible means terminating in tapered portions overlapping each other, the lower edges of the iiexible means joined 25 to the end walls to form the hinging portions of the bag.

CHARLES DOPPELT. 

